DRUG AWARENESS WORKSHOP

Officer Kevin Kearney, on Drug Awareness
Sponsored by the Winona County Day Care Providers Association
Sept 18th from 6:30-8:30pm at
Jefferson's Pub, upstairs room
$15 at the door for those not a member of the WCDCPA.
Come educate yourself; keep you, your family, and your neighbors safe. All are invited; anyone interested in learning about Drug Awareness should attend.

Credited hours will be given by certificate if you need them.

FDA bans cold meds for kids under 2, considers ban for under age 12

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday issued a Public Health Advisory recommending that over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold products should not be used to treat infants and children less than 2 years of age because serious and potentially life-threatening side effects can occur from such use, according to an FDA press release. These include death, convulsions, rapid heart rates, and decreased levels of consciousness.

"These medicines, which treat symptoms and not the underlying condition, have not been shown to be safe or effective in children under 2," said Charles Ganley, M.D., director of the FDA's Office of Nonprescription Products. According to an Associated Press story on the move, "the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year reported that more than 1,500 babies and toddlers wound up in emergency rooms over a two-year period because of the drugs."

In October, the FDA's advisory board voted that the drugs were not effective and shouldn't be used in kids under age 6, according to the AP story. According to the FDA press release, the agency is continuing to review data regarding the use of OTC cold medicines in all children under age 12 prior to issuing a formal recommendation.

More from the press release:

Pending completion of the FDA's ongoing review, parents and caregivers that choose to use OTC cough and cold medicines to children ages 2 to 11 years should:

• Follow the dosing directions on the label of any OTC medication,
• Understand that these drugs will NOT cure or shorten the duration of the common cold,
• Check the "Drug Facts" label to learn what active ingredients are in the products because many OTC cough and cold products contain multiple active ingredients, and
• Only use measuring spoons or cups that come with the medicine or those made specially for measuring drugs.

Dr. David Walsh in Winona January 14

Dr. David Walsh will be in Winona to present:

No: Why Kids of All Ages Need to Hear It

&

Ways Parents Can Say It

Monday, January 14 at 6:30 p.m.

WMS Auditorium --1570 Homer Road, Winona

A free copy of Dr. Walsh's book will be availabe, while supplies last, to each household. A book-signing and reception will follow. The presentation is free. Free childcare will be provided for children ages 2-10.

To learn more about this presentation, visit:

www.sayyestono.org

Sponsored by: WMS & Area PTA's, MN Masonic Charities, St. Mary's Catholic Schools, the Winona Early Childhood Initiative & The Foundation for Winona Area Public Schools

Check Out a Great Website on Kids 0-5

www.teachmorelovemore.com

Toy Safety at Christmastime

From Newsweek:

It’s a tough year to be a toy-buying parent. In recent months, almost 25 million mostly Chinese-made toys have been recalled because they have dangerous amounts of lead or magnets—which can cause intestinal damage when swallowed—in them. Then there were Aqua Dots, pulled when it was discovered that the popular beads were coated with a toxic chemical that metabolizes into gamma hydroxy butyrate, or GHB—the date-rape drug. Last week California filed suit against 20 toy companies, alleging that they had knowingly exposed kids to unlawful levels of lead.

The article goes on to give practical tips for making sure toys are safe for kids--you can read the rest of the article at Newsweek.

ECFE Parents Meet with School Nutrition Director on Chocolate Milk

Several parents from the Winona Early Childhood Family Education program attended a Wednesday morning meeting with Lyn Halvorson, the school nutrition director for the Winona Area Public Schools, to discuss chocolate milk in the schools. Margaret Schild, director of Winona Community Education, also attended the meeting in her role as co-chair of the school district’s Wellness Committee.

The meeting was prompted by some parents’ concerns about the amount of extra sugar contained in the flavored milk. The chocolate skim milk served to students in WAPS contains 14 more grams of sugar and 60 more calories than white skim milk, with the extra calories presumably coming from the added sugar.

The parents expressed several concerns about making chocolate milk available to students at meals (breakfast and lunch) and during kindergartener’s snack time. Their primary concern was that the amount of sugar contained in one serving of chocolate milk (26 grams, including the 12 grams of naturally occurring sugar from lactose) represents about half of the discretionary calories recommended by the USDA on its food pyramid website, mypyramid.gov, for active five-year-old children. The parents said they worried that providing young kids with that much sugar through one or more servings of chocolate milk made it much more likely that they would exceed their recommended daily caloric intake from discretionary fats and sugars, increasing the risk of childhood diabetes and obesity. They also asked whether providing sweetened milk at every meal establishes unhealthy eating habits, with kids who have had a sugary drink at every meal for years as kindergarteners and elementary students becoming more likely to “graduate” to mealtime soda pop as teenagers.

Ms. Halvorson presented extensive information supporting the widespread practice of offering flavored milk to school children. (Some of the information she presented can be found in the post, “Milk Facts.”) She pointed out that the consensus among nutritionists and medical professionals is that chocolate milk consumption is not harmful to children and actually provides substantial benefits. She said that most children do not receive nearly enough calcium on a daily basis to build healthy bones and teeth. But studies show that children are more likely to drink more milk when the milk is flavored or packaged attractively. For example, eliminating chocolate milk in the New York City public schools reduced students’ milk consumption by 10 percent. Many nutritionists and medical professionals say that the extra sugar contained in chocolate milk is not significant enough to be a health concern for most children, and is outweighed by the benefits of providing kids with more calcium.

Parents at the meeting asked whether experts’ assertions that the extra sugar is not a concern for most kids applies equally to very young children, such as kindergarteners, whose overall caloric intake is less than the average elementary age child. They asked whether the schools could investigate the possibility of replacing sugary chocolate milk with a lower-sugar chocolate milk. They also suggested that parents ought to have some control over whether their young children are allowed to have chocolate milk at school.

Ms. Halvorson raised some concerns about the practicality of having cafeteria staff monitor kids’ milk choices. However, she suggested that she would be willing to investigate the possibility of providing more parental control over kindergarteners’ chocolate milk consumption during their snack time. She also said she would investigate whether a lower-sugar chocolate milk exists.

The meeting was sponsored and facilitated by the Early Childhood Family Education PTA, which has not taken a formal position on the issue other than to raise parents’ concerns with school district officials.

Milk Facts

Here are some facts about milk and kids, compiled by Lyn Halvorson, SNS, the school nutrition director for the Winona Area Public Schools:

• More than half of the children ages 2-8 do not get the recommended daily servings of dairy.
• More than three-quarters of the children ages 9-19 do not get the recommended daily servings of dairy.
• The National Dairy Council, the School Nutrition Association, and the School Nutrition Foundation conducted a study and found that 97% of schools offer flavored milk. Over 70% of the milk consumed in schools is flavored.
• Virtually all the calories in 100% juice and nearly one-half the calories in unflavored milk is from naturally-occurring sugars. See handout; fat-free white and 1% white contain 12 grams of naturally-occurring sugar, chocolate skim contains 26 grams (12 grams of naturally-occurring sugar and 14 grams of added sugar).
• The importance of providing children with milk they like, and therefore will drink, was highlighted by the 2002 School Milk Pilot Test, which demonstrated that with simple product improvements – including flavors and packaging – milk consumption increased 37%.
• A study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, showed that when compared to their peers, children who drank flavored milk drank more milk overall and are more likely to meet their calcium needs than those who did not.
• Frank Greer, MD, FAAP, Chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition states, “The AAP recommends that children eat three servings of milk, flavored milk, cheese or yogurt a day.”
• Robert P. Heaney, MD, Professor at Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska takes a realistic approach to flavored milk. “I favor milk consumption because of its many nutritional benefits. If there is a choices between flavored milk and no milk, there shouldn’t be any difficulty there; you have to go with the flavored milk because that is where you are going to get the nutrient package that you need.”
• The kids who drank flavored milk in their diets reported higher milk intakes than those who drank plain milk. Source; Nutrient intakes and body measures of children and adolescents in the United States drinking flavored, plain or no milk. FASEB J 21:833.3
• When it comes to flavored milk, the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Dietetics Association and the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Committee agree that the added sugar in flavored milk does not negate milk’s many benefits. Specifically in regard to high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), there is very little different between sucrose, which is granulated sugar, and HFCS. Once absorbed, they are indistinguishable to the human body.
• In a recent survey among 4,000 3 A-Day of Dairy moms, 92% said that they were comfortable with their children drinking flavored milk at school.

FLIPPIN' FOR BOOKS

FLIPPIN' FOR BOOKS

9 to Noon

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Winona Senior High Concourse

Join us for a morning of fun for families with young children!!

Free

Pancake Breakfast 9 to 10:30

Storytelling with Local "Celebrities"

Children's Activities: Build-a-book, Face painting, Butterfly-making and More...

McGruff the Crime Dog

Resources for Families with Young Children

Car Seat Clinic

And MORE...

Every Child Receives a Book to Take Home

Infant cold medicines pulled from stores

From the Star Tribune:

Drug makers on Thursday voluntarily pulled kids' cold medicines off the market less than two weeks after the government warned of potential health risks to infants.

Products aimed at children under the age of two are being removed from store shelves due to "rare instantances of misuse" that could lead to accidental overdose, a trade group that represents over-the-counter drug makers said.

Cold medicines being withdrawn include: Johnson & Johnson Pediacare Infant Drops and Tylenol Concentrated Infants Drops, Wyeth's Dimetapp Decongestant Infant Drops, Novartis' Triaminic Infant & Toddler Thin Strips and Prestige Brands Holdings' Little Colds Decongestant Plus Cough.

Read the full story at the StarTribune.

Healthy Kids Club Kick-Off Event

Calling all 6-11 year olds! Join us:

Sat, October 13
9am-noon
Winona Middle School Concourse

Fun activities, Iron Man obstacle course, healthy snacks, free journal & jump rope to those who register!
Healthy Kids Club is a year-long partnership launched by Winona Health and supported by many area community health, rec, social service, educational, and business groups. The goal is to encourage children ages 6-11 to live healthy, make smart food choices, and maintain active lifestyles.
For more info visit www.winonahealth.org/HKC
If you can't make it to the event & want to join Healthy Kids Club, email us at HKC@winonahealth.org or call 457-4161.

Chocolate Milk and Kids

Should young children be able to drink up to two cups of chocolate milk a day while at school? That's the questions currently being discussed in local Early Childhood Family Education classes.

Kids attending local schools typically get to choose white or chocolate milk at lunchtime, and children in kindergarten may also receive chocolate milk at snack time. Not surprisingly, most choose chocolate over white milk. On the upside, kids are more likely to drink chocolate milk, meaning they get the calcium and Vitamin D they need. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children age 4-8 need 800 milligrams a day, which is about the equivalent of three servings of milk. On the downside, each carton contains 26 grams of sugar, according to the nutrition facts label. That's about as much sugar as is found in half a cup of Ben & Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk ice cream, a York Peppermint Patty, or an 8 ounce can of Sierra Mist. But...chocolate milk typically contains only twice as much sugar as white milk, which contains 12 grams of sugar. And the sugar content of chocolate milk is about equivalent to that found in most unsweetened fruit juices.

So should kids be given such a sugary snack, even if it helps them get the calcium they need for growing bones? Experts offer differing opinions, although most seem to think the trade-off is worth it. Below, you'll find a sampling of some of those opinions. After reading them, weigh in with your own opinion by clicking on "comments."

American Dietetics Association: Regular or Flavored? The Benefits of Milk
"Getting children to drink more milk is a big issue for parents. If you're struggling to convince your children to drink more milk, try adding flavor to it. Research has shown that students who drink flavored milk have higher calcium and milk intake and lower sugar-sweetened beverage intakes. Like unflavored milk, chocolate and other flavored milk supplies calcium, phosphorus, protein, riboflavin and vitamin D that people of all ages need.

"For chocolate milk, the only difference from white milk is an additional 60 calories per 8-ounce serving from the added sweetener, and chocolate or cocoa. For most people, the health benefits outweigh extra calories the milk may contain."

Vincent Iannelli, M.D.: The Case Against Chocolate Milk (About.com)
"The biggest case against chocolate milk is that adding any flavoring to milk adds extra sugar and calories to an otherwise healthy drink. Even the newer 'no sugar added' varieties, like the Nesquik Chocolate No Sugar Added brand, has 3g of extra milk sugar and an extra 40 calories. And the more traditional varieties can add up to 18g of sugar and 90 calories per serving, which more than doubles the amount of calories that you would get from just the glass of milk....

"Although milk is an important drink and an easy way for your child to get calcium and Vitamin D into his diet, it is usually best to encourage your kids to drink plain white milk. Adding chocolate flavoring just gives your child unnecessary sugar and calories. If your child won't drink plain milk, you might offer alternative sources of calcium before jumping to flavoring his milk with chocolate, as it is usually difficult to get kids to later go back to drinking plain milk once they start drinking chocolate milk."

Dr. Alan Greene: Chocolate Cow (DrGreene.com)
"Parents are often reluctant to let their children drink too much chocolate (or otherwise flavored) milk, concerned that this will give their kids too much sugar or fat. Actually, a glass of flavored milk contains less sugar than many juices, fruit drinks, or sodas. Furthermore, a University of Vermont study published in the June 2002 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association culled very interesting information from the from USDA's large Continuing Survey of Food Intakes of Individuals (CSFII). Children who drink flavored milk are more likely to meet the calcium requirements than their peers, and no more likely to have greater sugar or fat intake."

Nutrition Experts Applaud Chocolate Milk As Good-For-You Treat (eMaxHealth.com)
"Chocolate milk may be one answer to help curb the excessive consumption of nutrient-void soft drinks, which some experts say is a major contributor to childhood obesity in this country. Studies have shown that kids who drink flavored milk tend to drink fewer sweetened soft drinks and fruit drinks, which are the No. 1 source of calories and added sugars in a child's diet.

"Children ages 9 and up who consume more milk -- including chocolate milk -- instead of soft drinks not only have nutritionally superior diets, but they also tend to weigh less than kids who drink more sugary sodas and little milk, according to recent research."


Dietitians of Canada: Chocolate Milk for Toddlers
"Chocolate milk provides the same 15 essential nutrients as white milk. With no more sugar than a glass of unsweetened fruit juice, and no more caffeine than a cup of decaffeinated coffee, chocolate milk made with fresh cows' milk is an excellent choice. Satisfy your urge for chocolate with a glass of chocolate milk. It's a low fat, nutrient -rich choice.

Food Guide Recommended Daily Servings of Milk Products:
Preschoolers: 2 cups or 500 mL of white or chocolate milk and one more Milk Product serving such as: yoghurt 1/3-3/4 cup or 75-175"

FDA considers banning cold medicine for kids under 6

From the New York Times:

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 — Safety experts for the Food and Drug Administration urged the agency on Friday to consider an outright ban on over-the-counter, multisymptom cough and cold medicines for children under 6.

The recommendation, in a 356-page safety review, is the strongest signal yet that the agency may take strong action against the roughly 800 popular medicines marketed in the United States under names like Toddler’s Dimetapp, Triaminic Infant and Little Colds.

The next step in the process is a meeting of outside experts on Oct. 18 and 19 to examine the medicines’ safety and offer recommendations to the agency.

In the new safety review, the agency’s experts suggested that all “infant” cough and cold formulations be removed from the market, and that the droppers, cups and syringes included with products for children be standardized to reduce the risks of confusion and overdose.

The reviewers wrote that there is little evidence that these medicines are effective in young children, and there are increasing fears that they may be dangerous. From 1969 to 2006, at least 54 children died after taking decongestants, and 69 died after taking antihistamines, the report said. And it added that since adverse drug reactions are reported voluntarily and fitfully, the numbers were likely to significantly understate the medicines’ true toll.

Read the whole article at the New York Times.

Nasal Influenza Vaccine Approved for Younger Children

From a press release from the Food and Drug Administration:

On September 19, 2007, FDA approved the nasal influenza vaccine FluMist for use in children between the ages of 2 and 5. Approval for the vaccine, which contains a weakened form of the live virus and is sprayed in the nose, was previously limited to healthy children 5 years of age and older and to adults up to age 49. FluMist is manufactured by MedImmune Vaccines, Inc., Gaithersburg , Md.

"The goal of preventing influenza is now more attainable with the availability of FluMist for younger children," says Jesse L. Goodman, M.D., director of FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. "This approval also offers parents and health professionals a needle-free option for squeamish toddlers, who may be reluctant to get a traditional influenza shot."

Until now, there were only two influenza vaccines licensed in the U.S. for children under age 5. Fluzone, manufactured by sanofi pasteur Inc., Swiftwater , Pa. , is indicated for people over 6 months of age. Fluvirin, made by Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics Ltd, Liverpool, England, is available for children age 4 and older.
Safety and Effectiveness

Approximately 6,400 infants and children age 6 months to 59 months received FluMist in three studies to support the vaccine's safety and effectiveness. Two studies compared FluMist to placebo (no vaccine), both of which demonstrated the vaccine's effectiveness in preventing influenza illness.

A third study compared FluMist to an inactivated or "killed" seasonal influenza vaccine shot. The results showed that there were 53 cases of influenza among 3,900 children who received FluMist compared to 93 cases among the same number of children who received an inactivated or “killed” seasonal influenza vaccine shot.

Commonly observed adverse events from the vaccine were generally mild and most often included runny nose and/or nasal congestion, as well as a slight fever in children 2 to 6 years of age.

Who Should NOT Receive FluMist?

* Children under the age of 2 should not receive FluMist because there was an increased risk of hospitalization and wheezing for this age group during the clinical trials.
* FluMist should not be administered to anyone with asthma or to children under the age of 5 years with recurrent wheezing because of the potential for increased wheezing after receiving the vaccine.
* People who are allergic to any of FluMist's components, including eggs or egg products, should also not receive the vaccine.

Vaccination Recommendations

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all children age 6 months to 59 months receive a vaccination to protect against influenza.

Studies have shown that children younger than 5 years had rates of influenza-associated hospitalizations similar to those among individuals age 50 through 64 years, emphasizing the need for improved influenza prevention efforts for this younger population.

NO LINK BETWEEN BREASTFEEDING AND TOOTH DECAY

From the American Academy of Pediatrics:

Breastfeeding does not cause early childhood tooth decay, according to a new study. "Association Between Infant Breastfeeding and Early Childhood Caries in the United States" analyzed data on oral health, infant feeding, and numerous other factors among children ages 2 to 5, in the 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Despite some reports that link breastfeeding, especially prolonged breastfeeding, with dental caries, this study found no such increased risk. In contrast, maternal smoking was found to increase the risk for dental caries.

Halloween Safety Tips from the AAP

HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS

Halloween is an exciting time of year for kids, and to help ensure they have a safe holiday, here are some tips from the AAP.

ALL DRESSED UP:

-- Plan costumes that are bright and reflective. Make sure that shoes fit well and that costumes are short enough to prevent tripping, entanglement or contact with flame.
-- Consider adding reflective tape or striping to costumes and Trick-or-Treat bags for greater visibility.
-- Because masks can limit or block eyesight, consider non-toxic makeup and decorative hats as safer alternatives. Hats should fit properly to prevent them from sliding over eyes.
-- When shopping for costumes, wigs and accessories look for and purchase those with a label clearly indicating they are flame resistant.
-- If a sword, cane, or stick is a part of your child's costume, make sure it is not sharp or too long. A child may be easily hurt by these accessories if he stumbles or trips.
-- Obtain flashlights with fresh batteries for all children and their escorts.
-- Teach children how to call 9-1-1 (or their local emergency number) if they have an emergency or become lost.

CARVING A NICHE:

-- Small children should never carve pumpkins. Children can draw a face with markers. Then parents can do the cutting.
-- Votive candles are safest for candle-lit pumpkins.
-- Candlelit pumpkins should be placed on a sturdy table, away from curtains and other flammable objects, and should never be left unattended.

HOME SAFE HOME:

-- To keep homes safe for visiting trick-or-treaters, parents should remove from the porch and front yard anything a child could trip over such as garden hoses, toys, bikes and lawn decorations.
-- Parents should check outdoor lights and replace burned-out bulbs.
-- Wet leaves should be swept from sidewalks and steps.
-- Restrain pets so they do not inadvertently jump on or bite a trick-or-treater.

ON THE TRICK-OR-TREAT TRAIL:

-- A parent or responsible adult should always accompany young children on their neighborhood rounds.
-- If your older children are going alone, plan and review the route that is acceptable to you. Agree on a specific time when they should return home.
-- Only go to homes with a porch light on.
-- Because pedestrian injuries are the most common injuries to children on Halloween,
remind Trick-or Treaters:
- Stay in a group and communicate where they will be going.
- Carry a mobile phone for quick communication.
- Remain on well-lit streets and always use the sidewalk.
- If no sidewalk is available, walk at the far edge of the roadway facing traffic.
- Never cut across yards or use alleys.
- Only cross the street as a group in established crosswalks (as recognized by local custom). Never cross between parked cars or out driveways.
- Don't assume the right of way. Motorists may have trouble seeing Trick-or-Treaters. Just because one car stops, doesn't mean others will!
- Law enforcement authorities should be notified immediately of any suspicious or unlawful activity.

HEALTHY HALLOWEEN:

-- A good meal prior to parties and trick-or-treating will discourage youngsters from filling up on Halloween treats.
-- Consider purchasing non-food treats for those who visit your home, such as coloring books or pens and pencils.
-- Wait until children are home to sort and check treats. Though tampering is rare, a responsible adult should closely examine all treats and throw away any spoiled, unwrapped or suspicious items.
-- Try to ration treats for the days following Halloween.

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

(c) 2007 American Academy of Pediatrics.

TV for Tots: More Bad News

"Baby Einsteins May Not Be So Smart After All," from Time.com:

The claim always seemed too good to be true: park your infant in front of a video and, in no time, he or she will be talking and getting smarter than the neighbor's kid. In the latest study on the effects of popular videos such as the "Baby Einstein" and "Brainy Baby" series, researchers find that these products may be doing more harm than good. And they may actually delay language development in toddlers.

Led by Frederick Zimmerman and Dr. Dimitri Christakis, both at the University of Washington, the research team found that with every hour per day spent watching baby DVDs and videos, infants learned six to eight fewer new vocabulary words than babies who never watched the videos. These products had the strongest detrimental effect on babies 8 to 16 months old, the age at which language skills are starting to form. "The more videos they watched, the fewer words they knew," says Christakis. "These babies scored about 10% lower on language skills than infants who had not watched these videos."

It's not the first blow to baby videos, and likely won't be the last. Mounting evidence suggests that passive screen sucking not only doesn't help children learn, but could also set back their development. Last spring, Christakis and his colleagues found that by three months, 40% of babies are regular viewers of DVDs, videos or television; by the time they are two years old, almost 90% are spending two to three hours each day in front of a screen. Three studies have shown that watching television, even if it includes educational programming such as Sesame Street, delays language development. "Babies require face-to-face interaction to learn," says Dr. Vic Strasburger, professor of pediatrics at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Read the rest of the story here. And from the American Academy of Pediatrics:

EARLY TV VIEWING HABITS COULD HAVE LASTING EFFECT ON KIDS’ ATTENTION

Children who watch more television in their early years may be more likely to have attention problems as teens. In a study from the University of Otago, in Dunedin, New Zealand, more than 1,000 children were observed from age 3 through age 15. Early childhood attention problems were noted at ages 3 and 5. Parents’ estimates of the children’s’ television viewing time were obtained at ages 5, 7, 9 and 11. Then, using various tools and questionnaires, the parents, the children themselves and reported on attention problems at ages 13 and 15. For every additional 50 minutes of television watched on average per day, there was a measurable negative impact on attention. Those who watched the most TV earlier in childhood were more likely to have attention problems. In particular, those children who watched more than two hours per day had above-average symptoms of attention difficulties in adolescence. Early childhood attention problems, socioeconomic status, gender or cognitive abilities did not influence the results, leading the researchers to conclude that watching too much TV was the most likely cause. Possible explanations may be the world portrayed on television makes real-life tasks seem boring in comparison, or that watching TV displaces of the activities that encourage attention such as reading and playing games.

ARE KIDS BEING BURGER BRAINWASHED?

According to a recent Institute of Medicine report, there is strong evidence that television advertising influences short-term food preferences for children 2 to 11 years of age. Researchers for the study, “Nutritional Content of Television Food Advertisements Seen by Children and Adolescents in the United States,” analyzed food-product advertisements seen by children and adolescents on top-rated television shows from September 2003 to May 2004. Nearly 98 percent of food ads seen by children 2 to 11 years old and 89 percent for adolescents 12 to 18 years old were for products high in fat, sugar, or sodium and of poor nutritional content. Fast-food restaurants made up the largest category of all food-related advertisements viewed by teens, while children 2-11 years of age most frequently saw cereal ads. The current obesity epidemic among children and adolescents has challenged the food and beverage industries to reexamine their marketing practices. These findings will provide a benchmark against which future research can evaluate the commitment by food companies to change the nature of food advertising to children.

The Importance of Play

The most recent installment of the public radio series "Speaking of Faith" spent an hour examining the importance of play, and how play shapes us as human beings. Here's an excerpt from a reflection that the host, Krista Tippett, wrote about the program:

[Dr.] Stuart Brown [director of the National Institute for Play], for his own part, says he spent too many years as a workaholic doctor; and he came to his fascination with play after observing play-deprivation in the lives of homicidal young men he had been given to study. These days, he gives himself three or four hours a day of "rogue tennis," reading, frolicking with his grandchildren. For work, he promotes better science on how play enriches us and nourishes human spirit and character. He believes this has implications for how we should structure our schools, workplaces, and family lives.

I am surprised, and eventually convinced, by the amazing list of virtues Stuart Brown associates with play across the span of our lives, drawing on a rich universe of play study in humans and intelligent social animals. (By the way, stop right here for a smile by looking at amazing pictures of animals quite obviously delighting in play.) It is established, Stuart Brown insists, that an actively playful life establishes the earliest sense of self; sustains trust; provides increased enthusiasm for effectiveness in learning; prevents violence; invigorates the body; lessens the consequences of stress; contributes directly to the capacity to approach and solve complex life problems; and rewards and directs the living of life in accord with innate talents..

You can read the rest of Ms. Tippett's reflection, read the transcript, listen to the program, or download it as an mp3 file, at http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/play.

Save the Date!

Friday, October 5, 2007

Postpartum Depression in Our Community:

Working Together to Support Mothers & Families

An event for parents, professionals & community members

with Keynote Speaker Ruth Ener

Panel Presentation

Small Group Discussion

For more information, contact

Baby Connections @ 494-0812

Sponsored by the Winona Area Postpartum Depression Network

How to Handle Your Toddler

In this professionally produced 13-minute video from WNET and Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, renowned experts Penelope Leach and Kyle Pruett talk with parents about how to handle toddlers: deal with their behavior, learn the right ways to talk and discipline them, and recognize when they are merely imitating what they learn from adults. You'll also learn ways to encourage and enhance a toddler's development. Topics covered include: How advanced is a toddler's language? Toddler doesn't always have to mean tantrums, biting, scratching and hair pulling? Should you yell at your toddler? How much is a toddler's behavior based on imitating those around them? How toddlers view and perceive their world. Setting boundaries with toddlers. Saying "no" to toddlers.

Note: If the video playback is jittery because of a slow connection, try pressing pause until more of the video has loaded (as indicated by the green status bar).

Infant CPR video

Here's a three-minute video demonstrating infant CPR.